Vision
Sawa Foundation seeks to be an initiative for a Palestinian society that combats all forms of violence and abuse against women and children, and supports health, dignity and human safety.
Mission
"Sawa" is a Palestinian organization established in 1998, working to combat all forms of violence, abuse, and neglect against women and children. This is achieved through raising community awareness and providing counseling, psychosocial support, and remote guidance for victims of violence via a dedicated helpline. The organization employs a highly qualified professional team trained to support victims and offer effective, confidential listening”
Core Values
Humanity: We advocate for the respect and preservation of human rights and dignity for all members of society.
Equality: We embrace diversity and oppose all forms of discrimination.
Change: We strive to transform society by fostering active citizenship, breaking silence, passivity, and resignation.
Trust: We uphold ethical behavior, openness, transparency, and high moral standards.
Objectives
- Empowering vulnerable groups by combating harmful attitudes and practices, and tackling violence as a societal issue, rather than a private (domestic) matter.
- Supporting survivors of violence to recover and seek redress, building on their strengths, and promoting their resilience, to pursue their right to a life of dignity.
- Strengthening the organizational capacity and sustainability of Sawa to move toward its vision.
Organization History
⏺ 1998 The beginning was in the city of Jerusalem, where the Women’s Protection Line from Violence was established.
⏺ 2004 Establishment of the Palestinian Child Protection National Line Program 121 with the aim of providing support, guidance and support to children, young men and women who are subjected to any form of violence, abuse and neglect.
⏺ 2005 Sawa became a member of the global network of child helplines (CHI).
⏺ 2006 Obtaining the free line number (121) from the Palestinian Telecommunications Company.
⏺ 2007 Preparing training curricula for professionals (police: Public Prosecution, doctors, psychologists) and training them on the mechanisms of intervention and methods of dealing with victims of violence, women and children.
⏺ 2008 Publication of a brief paper entitled “Trafficking in Palestinian Women and Girls and Forced Prostitution, Models of Modern Slavery,” which received great attention as it was the first of its kind in Palestine.
The first war on Gaza and the transformation of the protection line into an emergency line that works 24/7, seven days a week.
⏺ 2009 The start of using the institution’s own database connected to the digital phone system, thus the documentation of calls increased from 300 calls per month to more than 1,000 calls per month
⏺ 2010 Sawa Foundation won the Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development, Under the title “The Role of NGOs in Supporting and Strengthening the Use of Information and Communication Technology for the Development of Remote and Rural Communities” of the Arab Gulf Development Program “AGFUND”.
⏺ 2011 Establishment of a mobile psychosocial clinic program with the aim of raising awareness in remote and marginalized areas.
Start involving men to combat violence against women.
⏺ 2012 Establishment of a face-to-face counseling center, Let’s talk program.
Moving to a 24/7 emergency line during the war on the Gaza Strip, to meet the needs of the mint and for a period of 6 months.
The legal advisor of the Sawa Foundation has chosen lawyer Jalal Khader as a member of the advisory committee for the development of communication technology for child helplines in the world, which is composed of representatives of lines in 6 member countries of the global network of child helplines
The election of the director of the Sawa Foundation, Ohaila Schumer, as a representative of the Middle East and North Africa for two years in the global network of child helplines based in the Netherlands.
The French Consulate nominates Sawa for a human rights award for the French state.
⏺ 2014 “Sawa” worked on updating and developing the listening center from 5 units to 10 listening units to respond to a larger number of callers.
To move to a 24/7 emergency line during the war on the Gaza Strip, to meet the needs of the population, for a period of 6 months, this year 29,618 calls were documented.
⏺ 2010-2014 Sawa transferred its experience in managing and operating child and women support lines to other Arab countries.
⏺ 2015 Sawa Foundation won the 2015 International Stars Impact “Al-Dabbagh” award, for its excellence in its impact on children and youth in society.
2016 Establishment of a mobile sexual and reproductive health clinic to work in Area C
The Sawa Foundation held its annual conference under the title “Generations Under the Hammer of Porn.”
⏺ 2017 Sawa Foundation held its annual conference under the title “Social Media Crushes Realistic Social Communication.
⏺ 2018 Sawa Foundation has become a trusted partner of Facebook.
The Sua Foundation launched the first annual competition for the one-minute film.
⏺ 2019 Adding the guidance service through chatting on the WhatsApp application.
The start of the second competition of the One Minute Film Competition.
⏺ 2020 Transition to a 24/7 contingency plan to respond to the emergency resulting from COVID-19.
Distributing 72 computers to school students who need them as part of the Education Without Borders campaign – a computer for every child.
A huge success for the One Minute Film Competition, with the participation of thirty films from nine different countries.
Launching the sawa121 application, which aims to protect people from harassment.
⏺ 2021 Transition to a 24/7 operation to respond to the doubled emergency situation resulting from COVID-19 and the war on Gaza in May 2021.
Choosing “Sawa” to be the main channel for reporting sexual violence and exploitation in Palestine (SEA).
Sawa Foundation launched the fourth annual competition “One Minute Film” under the title “Equal Despite Differences.”
Sawa Foundation held its annual conference under the title “The Double Pandemic.”
⏺ 2022 Launch of “Sawa,” an online platform for referring cases of gender-based violence.
⏺ 2023 Sawa focused on emergency response amid the war on Gaza and escalations in the West Bank, including Jenin Refugee Camp. Through its 24/7 Remote Counseling Helpline (164), mobile clinics, and community programs, Sawa provided psychosocial support, counseling, medical guidance, and referrals to tens of thousands of Palestinians. Despite extreme challenges, Sawa remained a vital source of protection, mental health support, and hope for women, children, and families.
⏺ 2024 Sawa continued its emergency response to the ongoing war on Gaza while maintaining the 24/7 Remote Counseling Helpline (164). The year saw a significant surge in calls and counseling sessions, particularly related to mental health, grief and loss, violence, and suicidal ideation, with the majority of calls coming from Gaza.
Sawa strengthened its services by expanding staff and specialties, including speech therapy and medical consultations, enhancing digital platforms, and increasing media outreach. Despite security and access challenges, Sawa sustained mobile clinic services, school workshops, and capacity-building programs, ensuring continuous psychosocial support and protection for vulnerable communities throughout the year.
⏺ 2025 SAWA Foundation achieved several key milestones, including updating its visual identity, launching the chat program, opening an in-person counseling room, designing a new website, and launching the One-Minute Film Competition and selecting its winners.
